China's National College Entrance Examination - The Invisible Battle of Confidentiality

(The armed police escorting the exam papers were on high alert, their security as tight as that of an armored truck. (Internet)

=====

China's National College Entrance Examination

The Invisible Battle of Confidentiality

Shin Min Daily News

2026-07-05

Compiled by Fong Soo Khuan (方秀娟)

For the millions of candidates in China, the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), often described as "a single exam that determines one's entire future," begins every June.

It is perhaps China's largest annual operation in terms of organization, the highest in terms of security classification, the greatest in terms of the number of participants, and the one with the least tolerance for error—a massive "logistics and personnel management project."

(Staff members are busy delivering exam papers to various examination centers. (Internet)")

=====

From setting the questions, printing, guarding, transportation, invigilation, to marking the examination papers, every step is carried out under security measures comparable to those for nuclear weapons. To prevent any leakage of examination content, a large behind-the-scenes workforce must endure several days or even several weeks of restricted personal freedom, and can only return home after the final examination has ended and all examination papers have been safely collected.

Question Setters 'Cut Off from the World' for Two Months

The question setters, who are responsible for preparing the examination papers, are selected by the relevant authorities about two months before the Gaokao. Those chosen are sent to a sealed-off question-setting center, where they undergo comprehensive background checks and confidentiality training, and sign confidentiality agreements. This process is known as "entering the secure compound."

From the moment they enter the question-setting center, all electronic devices, including their mobile phones and computers, are confiscated. They cannot make phone calls, send emails, or access the Internet, and virtually all contact with the outside world is cut off. Even their family members do not know where they have gone, only that they are "away on a business trip" for some time. Even if a question setter were to successfully smuggle a communication device into the facility, the signal-jamming equipment installed throughout the compound would render it completely useless. During this period, they may contact their families only through fixed-line telephones, and every conversation is monitored.

In this isolated environment, the question-setting team usually works under sealed conditions for about two months. Even after the examination papers have been finalized and the question-setting work has been completed, they are still not allowed to leave. They must remain there until the examination has ended and every candidate has handed in their paper before regaining their personal freedom.

In other words, from the time they enter the secure compound until they leave, these individuals remain isolated from the outside world for about two months. During this period, they cannot see their families at all, making it feel as though they are serving a prison sentence.

Printing Plant Takes Extreme Measures Against Leaks—Even Garbage Must Be Shredded

The printing of the Gaokao examination papers is another stage conducted under extremely high security.

After the examination papers are prepared by the question setters, they are handed over to the People's Armed Police, who transport them directly to the printing plant in armored cash transport vehicles. Some people say the Gaokao examination papers are printed in prisons. That statement is only half true because once the designated printing plant receives the papers, it is immediately placed under complete lockdown, making it little different from a prison.

The printing facilities responsible for the task usually enter full lockdown about one month before the Gaokao. Every department has access control systems, surveillance systems, and anti-theft measures, with security personnel standing guard around the clock in shifts. To prevent examination questions from being leaked, the compound is equipped not only with high walls and electrified fencing, but also double-layered wire mesh on windows to guard against people, drones, and even carrier pigeons. To prevent anyone from flushing handwritten copies of examination questions through toilets to the outside, the sewage pipes serving both the toilets and the kitchen are also fitted with multiple layers of wire mesh. Even household garbage is shredded into powder before being taken out.

In addition to creating an impregnable fortress, the entire printing compound becomes a communication dead zone during the lockdown period. Workers' mobile phones are confiscated the moment they enter, and all communication with the outside world is strictly restricted. High-powered wireless signal jammers operate around the clock, rendering any secretly brought communication devices completely useless. Surveillance cameras provide comprehensive coverage without blind spots, with every corner, every machine, and every workstation constantly under observation.

Like the question setters, all workers involved in printing must live under closed management within the compound for several weeks. They eat and sleep inside the facility and are not allowed to leave even a single step until the Gaokao has concluded, after which they finally regain their freedom.

Just imagine such a scene: a printing plant guarded by the People's Armed Police, protected by signal jammers, with workers under sealed management, and every scrap of waste paper immediately shredded into pulp. This is not merely printing examination papers—it is practically like printing banknotes.

Teachers Mark Papers 'Piece by Piece'

The marking process usually begins on the second or third day after the examinations end and generally lasts 10 to 15 days. It is usually conducted on the campus of a university within the province.

Although those marking the papers do not have to live under prison-like conditions for days or weeks like the question setters and printing staff, they are nevertheless subject to strict supervision. They are not allowed to leave the marking venue at will, and the security at the marking centers is equally comparable to that for handling nuclear weapons.

First, the marking venue is under completely closed management. Before entering, all markers must surrender their mobile phones and every communication device. Like the question-setting and printing facilities, the marking center is equipped with surveillance cameras and communication signal blockers, rendering any secretly brought communication devices completely useless. Teachers responsible for marking must also keep their whereabouts strictly confidential.

To ensure fairness, every examination paper is first scanned into electronic form and then divided into separate question fragments. For example, a teacher marking Question 3 can see only the answer to Question 3, but not the candidate's name, identification number, or the answers above or below that question.

The separated question fragments are then randomly assigned, much like drawing mystery boxes, to two different markers. After receiving the papers, each teacher independently assigns scores on a computer, without knowing what score the other teacher has given.

Compiled by Fong Soo Khuan (方秀娟)

Translated by ChatGPT